NINTH REUNION OF THE POST-SYNODAL COUNCIL OF AFRICA

VATICAN CITY, JUN 15, 2001 (VIS) - The ninth reunion of the Post-Synodal Council of the General Secretariat for the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, presided over by Secretary General, Cardinal Jan P. Schotte, C.I.C.M., was held in Rome on June 7 and 8.

Joining Cardinal Schotte were one cardinal, four archbishops, two bishops, and four members of the Secretariat General of the Synod. They reflected on the current social situation in Africa, the application of the Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Africa" up to this point and, in particular, emerging tendencies and new problems.

Some participants, noted a communique released today by the Synod of Bishops, recalled that "even in these very days, in certain areas of Africa, conflicts of various types persist which do not allow pastors to dedicate themselves with freedom and tranquility to normal apostolic activity, given the extreme difficulty of meeting and communicating."

"The most constructive reflection," the communique states, "is focused on the themes of globalization, the productiveness of the representation of the Church in Africa as the family of God, the means of social communication, and the ecclesial richness coming out of the entire series of continental synods."

The next meeting will be held from June 4 to 5, 2002.

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